I can’t believe that 2012 is over. Career wise this was probably the most successful and eventful year in the whole of my fifteen year career. My latest album “Be my Love” topped the charts in several countries. From the Grammy award nomination to being nominated and winning the Gramophone Artist of the Year 2012 – I was so proud to bring these honors for the first time to my home country Malta to the delight of my compatriots whom I am privileged to call “fellow Maltese!”

Of course a lot went on stage as well and this year my best experiences both happened in London. The first, chronologically, was the run of “La Boheme” in London where I had the extraordinary privilege of working with director John Copley. Pushing 80 he has the exuberance and energy of a man 50 years his junior. His insight on acting and singing are truly revealing and it is simply unnerving to witness his still humongous “hunger” for this beautiful art form despite the fact that he clocked more than half a century on the world’s greatest stages. Add to this we ended up being a cast of “true bohemians.” Real friendship formed with Carmen Gianattasio, Fabio Capitanucci, Matthew Rose and Thomas Oliemans – what was going on stage was really a mirror of reality rather than being an imitation. Semyon Bychkov in the pit aptly reminded us that even Puccini can be sung, not screamed, over the orchestra…

……and then the proms….Never in my life have I been so nervous knowing that I was going to sing the great tenor warhorses in front of a live audience of more than 10000 and a television audience running into millions. After Nessun Dorma the whole Royal Albert Hall erupted and “football stadium style cheering” ensued. Maestro Jiri Belohlavek immediately suggested an encore but I was frankly feeling too emotional of doing a “da capo.” It was a magical moment and I just wanted to breath it in…such an amazing event and wonderful colleagues like Nicky Benedetti, Mro Belohlavek, orchestra and the real stars of any Proms – the Prommers!

2013 is starting with a bang ie; a sold out concert at the Royal Festival Hall, another recital disk for Decca, a complete recording for the same label and performances in around 20 different cities around the globe including in my beloved Malta!

To all of you a great New Year without forgetting to thank the amazing team I have around me including (but not limited to) CSAM agency, 21c Media and Albion!

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Malta did not win the Eurovision but lo and behold the sun still rose and the island (the center of the known universe) still spun…

My two cents is that Ira Losco gave a really good performance and that the whole presentation was excellent. She shouldn’t have performed cause she is pregnant? Come off it – I have performed repeatedly with pregnant opera singers well into their 7th and 8th month of pregnancy and trust me when I say that rehearsing and performing for a full opera production is much more physically demanding than a couple of days at the Eurovision. Of course there are those who know much better than the undersigned and who went on to say that the presentation was a tad “camp”…oh the irony when one considers that the Eurovision is the campest of them all.

Meanwhile, this wouldn’t be Malta and the Eurovision wouldn’t be the Eurovision unless its politicized to the exhaustible hilt. The inevitable “mud slinging competition,” which we will see a lot of in the coming 22 months, ensued and even yours truly (inexplicably) ended up in the midst of the fray, in yet another “supernova” in a tea cup. The Eurovision suddenly became an interchangeable bullet to be used ad nauseam by both sides much like bitter parents who use their innocent children during disputes. I have always found sycophants interesting, even amusing but they will not be getting the much desired Streisand effect from me, thank you very much. It is part of human nature after all to conjure conspiracies and we are not going to let the simple truth get in the way of some exciting and convenient fiction.

Speaking of “conjuring” is it me or is a company advertising real estate using a chap “connected” with the tragic and unnecessary death of an underage girl? It must be a clone or a”doppleganger”, otherwise this would be the epitome of bad taste and a 100 shades of wrong. Don’t get me wrong I am all for “second chances” and all of that but shouldn’t there be due process first? After all Lisa Marie didn’t get a second chance did she?